Foxfit commemorates World Asthma Day 2020
05-05-2020
Tuesday May 5. 2020 is World Asthma Day. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the worldwide promotion is postponed to a later date. The Foxfit team of the professorships Digital Life (Faculty DMCI) and Exercise Therapy - Daily Movement (Faculty of Health) of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) does not forget this day. With the Foxfit project, the research team aims to make a positive contribution to the quality of life of children with asthma.
Foxfit is the follow-up project to the SIA RAAK Public project Simba, which was completed in mid-2019, in which an intervention was developed to stimulate children with asthma to exercise more. They often move too little, for example because they are afraid of shortness of breath, while sufficient exercise and a healthy lifestyle are very important. It can contribute to a decrease in asthmatic complaints, making it easier for these children to join their peers.
In this context, the Foxfit intervention was developed on the basis of input from both children with asthma, their parents and caregivers. This includes an app, which stimulates children in a playful way to exercise more. In addition, there is an online environment for care providers so that they can tailor the guidance exactly to the situation of the child.
The intervention was received very positively by children with asthma and their caregivers. That is why a follow-up to the project has been given since the beginning of this year in the form of SIA Top-up project Foxfit. In addition to technical improvements, work is also being done on drawing up an implementation plan for Foxfit. Before drawing up this plan, it is examined how Foxfit can best be used so that healthcare professionals can improve their care with Foxfit as well as possible.
Various students of the AUAS are also involved in the project. In the field of technology and design, the Communication and Multimedia Design program (Faculty of Digital Media and Creative Industry) is working on a graduation project to design more user-friendly interactive manuals for both caregivers and children. In addition, students of the minor Web Development will be concerned with improving the visualisations in the online environment of healthcare providers.
In the field of care and health, students from the department Exercise Therapy (Faculty of Health) are analysing how Foxfit can connect well with the existing work structure of the care professionals involved. In addition, students from the PABO (Faculty of Education and Education) will be busy with the educational components in Foxfit after the Summer, so that the children can learn more about their asthma and the importance of exercise and healthy behavior in a fun way.
The entire Foxfit team contributes with full dedication to a world in which children with asthma start exercising more with pleasure!